Palm Pilots, Flip Phones, Keyboards, and Beyond!

   Second grade has been focusing this year on drawing from observation, and in a very realistic way this year.  For our current project, I decided to flip their minds upside down, and have them create an abstract piece of art inspired by Pablo Picasso.  We discussed the way Picasso took an object, person, or place, and mentally took them apart and re-drew/painted them all scrambled up.  We decided to do the same, but with technology! 



I have some awesome parents at my school who donated computers, cell phones(flip phones!), floppy disks, palm pilots, and much more for me to physically take apart so students could draw them in an abstract way.  Now, I like to think 27 is not that old, however I sure felt old trying to explain what a palm pilot, floppy disk, and film camera was. The kids were convinced the palm pilot was a GPS, and the cell phones were never actually functioning but toys like they had as "little kids".  Overall, they found it hilarious to hear me tell about this "big stuff" as they called it, and I'm sure they now think I was alive when there was only black and white tv.... but oh well! 

Check out the progress of our abstract, technology themed projects!

(we are still working on filling in with watercolor pencils!)

Amazon Adventures Ahead!

Kindergarten ventures to the amazon with the Magic Treehouse Series used for the Tools of the Mind Curriculum. In art we created amazing mixed media collages about the Amazon! We broke the project down into four days....
       Day 1: Amazon Environment 
             -I can teach Ms. Foy about the Amazon.  
             -I can create a collaged rainforest with  
              shapes.
          Day 2: Animal Drawing
            - I can teach Ms. Foy about Amazon    
              animals. 
            - I can use lines and shapes to represent an
              amazon animal. 
         Day 3: Animal Coloring
            - I can teach Ms. Foy about Amazon
              colors.
            - I can use color to represent amazon
            animals.
         Day 4: Collage Day
             - I can teach Ms. Foy about the Amazon. 
             - I can create a collage. 
 


   I always start kindergarten students off with a learning target of "I can teach Ms. Foy..." because it really gives them a feeling of ownership and leadership in the art room.  I start with a thumb down, and every fact a student shares my thumb moves up, once my thumb is all the way up (4-6 facts later) that means we have met the goal!!

Check out the AMAZING results from our project!  These pieces were created with construction paper, glue, tissue paper, colored pencil, pencil, and  playcolor sticks!

ARTventure DC ENROLL NOW!!

Hello Parents! 

    ARTventure DC has just a few spots left for each session this summer! Check out the information below and please e-mail msfoysartroom@gmail.com to enroll or ask any questions!   You do not have to be a Bancroft student to attend,  artists from the greater DC area are welcome as well to enroll!!

Exploration Day! BUILDONG/CONSTRUCTION!!

Students in fourth grade are currently exploring the possibilities through a full choice based arts lesson! Within full choice based arts classes, students are designing, and implementing their own art projects.  A choice based room may look like total chaos because there's so many different things happening all at once however, I have found that choice based teaching opens up and raises my students motivation, excitement, and focus during their time in the art room. 

Students hadn't gotten the full experience of constructing three dimensional forms and ffigures, so the last class before spring break, they received a challenge.  They were to work in their table groups to construct a piece of architecture.  Whether it was a house, a museum, an office building, apartments, was up to them, but it had to be three dimensional.

Many students initial reaction was "This will be easy."  or "This is going to be AWESOME!!". 

  Here's a look at how they did!

At the end of the class, we came together to assess our structures.  Students did an open reflection about what went well, what was challenging, and how they would execute their plans differently if given another chance.   I prompted student learning from one of my favorite "fill in the blanks" you might say from Harvard's Project Zero....

         "I used to think _______________________   
                          but now I think_______________________."

The following were reflections from students: 
  " I used to think this was going to be easy, but now I think it's alot harder than I thought!"
  " I used to think using glue would hold all my pieces together, but now I think using tape and hot 
    glue would be best"
  " I used to think I was going to use clay for my next art project, but now I think there is a better art 
    supply than clay to use." 
   " I used to think that building with cardboard would be boring, but now I think it's the best for
     making a building"
   " I used to think the clay only went flat on the table, but now I think it can stand up, it's just hard to
     make it stand up!"
 
Students used this experience and the reflections in order to pause and reflect on the project they were designing for themselves.  Many students made proper changes and adjustments to the supplies they were requesting based off of this experience...Another choice based classroom success!!!